Anime-niacs unite

By René A. Guzman :
March 27, 2012
: Updated: March 28, 2012 3:40pm

FEATURES; ACS MIZUUMI CON JMS; 03/26/11; From the left in front, Honey Cherry as "Ed", Red Rogers as "Rangiku" back row from the left Jet_Texas as "Jet Black", Maromi as "Faye Valentine" and Shadowfox as "Henchman 21" at Muzuumi-Con 4, anime convention, Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. ( Photo by J. Michael Short / SPECIAL )

Expect Mizuumi-Con 5 to deliver even more fun with Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga), plus other geeky good times Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake University.

In its fifth year, the local convention has become a springtime fixture for diehard anime and manga fans called otaku, who typically stroll the lakeside campus in colorful wigs and cartoon outfits as their favorite characters — an exercise in costumed role-playing called cosplay.

This year's attendees will have even more to nerd out about. Besides a bigger vendor room, Mizuumi-Con will also offer video-game tournaments for “Halo” and “Marvel vs. Capcom,” panels on comic books and even a “Star Wars” panel.

“We have stuff for the young kids, we have stuff for the teenagers (and) stuff for the ‘older kids,'” says Darrell Hoberer, convention organizer and OLLU senior help desk technician. “We really try to be an easy first-time convention.”

Those who've always wanted to understand cosplay can learn all about it with an instructional presentation by Digital Outburst, a cosplay group from the Corpus Christi area. As for those who show up in costume, they can vogue it up in cosplay contests, as well as play cosplay chess in live-action fashion.

Of course, it wouldn't be an anime convention without some of the faces behind the animated series.

Special guest Todd Haberkorn has lent his vocal talents to numerous characters. His anime highlights include Italy in “Hetalia,” Natsu in “Fairy Tail” and Tsukune in “Rosario + Vampire.” The Texas native's video game credits include “Super Street Fighter IV” and “Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny.”

Special guest Alexis Tipton also flaunts a strong voice-acting résumé, with roles that include Mizuki in “Baka and Test,” Julia Crichton in “Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos” and Moka Akashiya in the “Rosario + Vampire” series. Tipton also cosplays, with an appearance in the book “Cosplay in America.”